Influence of hydrolytic ageing on the acoustic emission signatures of damage mechanisms occurring during tensile tests on a polyester composite: Application of a Kohonen’s map

The effects of hydrolytic ageing on the acoustic emission signature of damage mechanisms occurring during tensile tests on a glass fibre reinforced polyester composite are investigated. These results are used to test the validity of a Kohonen’s map established with AE data collected from an unaged specimen. This method enabled identification and classification of AE signals belonging to two different failure modes. The Kohonen self-organising map, trained on unaged specimens, is a valuable tool in assessment of damage type on the aged specimens.